MYTHLOGIC Pollux 1400: Clevo's W150HR Tested
by Jarred Walton on August 23, 2011 12:00 AM ESTGaming Performance with GT 555M 128-bit DDR3
We mentioned earlier that Alienware’s M14x uses the same GT 555M, only with 3GB of DDR3 and a 192-bit interface. That means it has 50% more memory bandwidth, so except in cases where we’re bottlenecked by the CPU or shader performance, the M14x ought to be a faster gaming laptop. I ran our Low Quality benchmarks on the MYTHLOGIC Pollux 1400, but I’m going to skip including them here and simply refer you to Mobile Bench. With a gorgeous 1080p LCD and ample GPU power, there’s no reason to run any current games at our Low defaults. Medium Quality is the sweet spot, as you can still hit the native 1080p resolution and break 30FPS; High Quality 1080p unfortunately proves too much for the GT 555M in most of the games we test.
Medium Quality Gaming
The GT 555M DDR3 ends up being a nice halfway house between the GT 525M/540/550M and the GTX 560/570/580M. Alienware’s M14x is generally faster than the W150HR, which we ascribe to the increased memory bandwidth. The difference ranges from as little as 2% to as much as 14%, with the one exception being StarCraft II; there, the W150HR is 8% faster than the M14x. We’re using the latest 280 series drivers on the W150HR, so that could explain a few of the differences, and StarCraft is known to be more CPU limited at lower settings. Elsewhere, the W150HR still holds a performance advantage of anywhere from 9% to 31% over the closest GT 540M laptop, so even with the same memory bandwidth the extra shader cores are proving useful. At native resolution, all of the games we tested still manage to break 30FPS, except for the two usual suspects: Mafia II and Metro 2033. We expect the M14x lead to increase at our High settings, which tend to stress bandwidth more, but there are plenty of variables so let’s just see how things pan out.
High Quality Gaming
Strange things are afoot at our High settings. First, the W150HR beats the M14x in BFBC2 by 11%; we wouldn’t have expected that to happen, but that’s why we run tests. Again, differences in drivers might be part of the answer, but we’d be surprised to see much in the way of optimizations happening this long after release. The M14x does lead in the remaining games, with a range of 3-16%, so the gap is about the same as at Medium. 1080p performance is below 30FPS in BFBC2, Mafia II, Metro 2033, and STALKER, so the GT 555M is batting about .500 for 1080p High Quality gaming ability. Looking to the next step down, the W150HR leads the closest GT 540M laptop by 6-26%, but four of the eight games show a >20% increase, and only DiRT 2 shows <10%.
I’m actually a bit surprised that the M14x doesn’t acquit itself better in the gaming results; I expected the 50% increase in memory bandwidth to be far more apparent, but on average it’s only showing up as a 6% performance advantage. Even if we toss out the two instances where the W150HR came out ahead, the lead would average 8%. It could be that the faster CPU in the W150HR is helping, and it might be hitting higher Turbo speeds on average thanks to the larger chassis and better cooling; driver differences may also be a factor. The only thing we can say for sure is that the difference between the GT 555M 192-bit and GT 555M 128-bit DDR3 models is usually less than 10%. That said, there’s still a rather large gap between the GT 555M and the GTX 460M/560M. If you want 1080p laptop gaming without anti-aliasing at high quality settings, you really need at least a GTX brand NVIDIA GPU (or roughly an HD 6850M on the AMD side).
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chinedooo - Tuesday, August 23, 2011 - link
my hp dv6t blows this thing outta the water. Its thinner lighter, and the 6770m is a better card than the gt 555bji - Tuesday, August 23, 2011 - link
The HP dv6t is several hundred dollars more expensive at a comparable configuration, and I don't know if the screen is as good as the Clevo (not saying it isn't, I just know that the Clevo screen is one of the best, and I don't know anything about the HP). So I wouldn't say it 'blows the Clevo out of the water', it's better in some areas and worse in others (like price).That being said, the Clevo sucks for many reasons (see my previous comment) so it may be that in useability the HP does blow the Clevo out of the water; I don't know as I have never used the HP.
lolthisisfunny - Tuesday, August 23, 2011 - link
Just made an account so I could tell you that you are way wrong. The dv6t has REGULAR 30% coupons that bring the price of a 6770m laptop to as little as 800 bucks.I used to have a dv6t, sold it, but for 1000 bucks with tax I got:
1080p matte screen
quad core 2630qm
amd 6770m
You won't find a better deal for raw specs anywhere else.
This mythlogic costs 1637. LOL
bji - Tuesday, August 23, 2011 - link
You are right, that is a better price. However, is the screen the same quality as the Clevo's screen?JarredWalton - Wednesday, August 24, 2011 - link
Take your dv6t price, add $250 for the 120GB Intel SSD, another $150 to upgrade the CPU from the 2630QM to the 2720QM, and an additional $120 to upgrade from the AUO B156HW01 v1 to the v4 -- both are matte, but the v4 is 95% NTSC gamut with slightly better viewing angles and better overall color.You're at $1674 for the basic setup, minus a 30% coupon (if you wait around for one to show up), and you still have to pay $250 for the Intel 120GB SSD since you can't configure it from HP that way. Or, you can take the Clevo, drop the SSD, downgrade the LCD and CPU, and you'd be looking at closer to $1200.
Basically, it's the same price minus the 30% coupon you mention, which isn't always available. As for the graphics... well, that's a whole different can of worms. 6770M is faster than GTX 540M, but against the 555M it's a toss up. NVIDIA's Optimus versus AMD's discrete graphics however ends up woefully lopsided in favor of NVIDIA, unless you don't care about battery life?
GSNorby - Tuesday, August 23, 2011 - link
Nice review on the Pollux 1400.I would point out one fundamental difference between the other Clevo customizers and MYTHLOGIC: The Phoenix Upgrade Policy is unique in my experience.
What this policy does is to assure people like me, who often agonize over component choices, that they won't be left in the cold when newer, better components come available. (In my previous experience, that happens about 26 seconds after the sale is final.) With MYTHLOGIC, you can upgrade very inexpensively, for the life of the system.
From their webpage:
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You will be responsible for all shipping and handling charges (to and from MYTHLOGIC), plus our component cost plus 5% (limited to MYTHLOGIC approved hardware). All labor and testing is on us as part of owning a MYTHLOGIC computer.
The PHOENIX Upgrade process also includes your MYTHLOGIC computer going through the assembly, pre testing, software configuration, benchmarking and recovery disk creation quality checklists.
In addition your MYTHLOGIC computer will also receive extra pampering via interior and exterior case cleaning, software updates, driver and firmware updates and a fresh OS install topped off with a brand new Recovery Kit (At your option of course).
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I have never seen this sort of policy offered by any other vendor. It really adds value to the system, and is the difference between investing in a system and paying over and over for the base unit when new stuff comes along.
bji - Tuesday, August 23, 2011 - link
The shell and most of the components are identical to several other Clevo models; I bought and sold a very similar Clevo W150HN laptop recently. I bought it because, like the review mentions, it is hard to get better bang-for-the-buck value than with this generation of Clevos. The cost of the entire laptop is not much more than the cost of the constituent parts, and you are getting lots of horsepower and a great display for your money.I agree that the display is just incredible (I also got the 95% color gamut matte display and agree that it is among the best laptop displays available). And the laptop itself was fairly well built.
However, that's just about all that I can say that is good about this generation of Clevos. They run a bit hot and have very annoying fan noise (although it is my understanding that the W150HR has better fan controller firmware and runs the fan quieter and less often than the ridiculous W150HN). The keyboard is TERRIBLE. I know these things are subjective but seriousy, I could not imagine a more flexy, squishy, looser and more awkward feeling keyboard than that on these Clevos. Also they have a really dumb number pad layout that is nearly useless and wastes real estate (from what I understand; I never use number pads anyway but I did find the placement of several keys that I do use like delete and page up/down annoying). The speakers are regarded as some of the worst available on any laptop. And the headphone jack, at least on my unit and running under Linux, was not able to drive my headphones more than maybe 1/2 normal volume at the highest volume setting. The touchpad has a very unpleasant feel and is so super sensitive that just having your palms above it while typing is enough to send your pointer randomly off into no man's land frustratingly often.
Make no mistake, these laptops are ALL FUNCTION, and absolutely ZERO FORM. Meaning, that if you just need raw horsepower in the most ungainly package possible, then these are a really great value. If you care at all about the experience of using the laptop, then move on. These just suck. I was so disappointed that I sold mine after 2 months at a $400 loss. I was lured by the specs and excited to receive it but my excitement quickly wore off in the face of all of the useability issues with the laptop I found myself almost never using it, because it was so unpleasant.
sablar - Tuesday, August 23, 2011 - link
I bought the MSI GE620DX which is very similar in terms of specification (555m, 144, 128-bit, 1080p) and in being kind of a budget gaming notebook.Pretty happy with it overall. Mine settles in the low 80C and isn't very loud but I got the i5-2410 instead of i7 version for a good price so that kind of explains it. GPU is clocked higher and around same temp. Also has a good screen. Bad part is the touchpad which is awful with hard-to-press buttons and poor scrolling, you can't open it without voiding warranty if adding RAM or so, Could be an option for those looking at the clevo.
JLM - Wednesday, August 24, 2011 - link
Had three criterea for a laptop. 15.6 inch FHD display. Fast graphics and a solid chassis.Bought an HP dv6t and returned it for a horrible flex on the keyboard and cheap tin-can design and material joins.
Bought an XPS15 and returned it for a whimpy graphics card.
Looked at Alienware and rejected immature design.
Finally bought a Sager (this model) from xoticPC and could NOT be happier. Fast graphics, perfect display, no flex on the keyboard, no bloat, port positioning...
As far as build, better than the HP by far, about on par with the XPS. Design is completely understated and businesslike. Pressing down on all spots of the keyboard there is no flex like the HP...
Best of all, totally understated design. This thing could belong in an office environment no problem.
I bought three years parts and labor warranty and had them put on arctic silver. I guess if it gets too hot they will have to fix it. I can play games with it on my lap. It does heat up on the left side, but doesn't burn.
Highly recommended. Check out the notebook check review as well.
bhima - Thursday, August 25, 2011 - link
I have the 540m MYTHLOGIC version of this machine and its been running strong. You can't beat that 95% gamut matte screen, I don't think I'll ever go back to a crappy base-model panel again.